Knights training with new-look spine ahead of 2026

The Newcastle Knights' pre-season reshuffle is beginning to take clearer shape, with training vision and club intel hinting a new-look spine combination has been trialled extensively in recent weeks.

Sources have told Zero Tackle and Newcastle Knights Juniors that the Knights have been training heavily with a halves pairing involving their recent recruits Sandon Smith and Dylan Brown, a move that many fans flagged at the time of Smith's signing and is now being put into practice on the training paddock.

According to those close to the situation, the option of Smith playing in the halves was communicated upon his arrival, with the belief that he could feature either in the halves or at hooker, depending on the direction the Knights wanted to go.

At training, the Knights have reportedly been running their attack with Dylan Brown on the left. At the same time, Phoenix Crossland has been stationed at dummy-half, further underlining the club's willingness to explore a new spine balance ahead of the 2026 campaign.

"They've been training [with this combination] a lot recently," sources revealed.

There has also been movement behind the backline, with Fletcher Sharpe tipped to start the season on the left wing, though he is expected to fill in at five-eighth in a pinch, and has also been training at fullback at times.

That adjustment is understood to be linked to Kalyn Ponga not yet being medically cleared for full-contact training, prompting the Knights to cover contingencies early in the pre-season.

If it holds, the Knights' left edge could prove one of the most dangerous in the competition, with Sharpe, Bradman Best, Dylan Lucas and Dylan Brown all set to feature in what is set to be an absolutely lethal combination.

While trials will ultimately determine the final make-up, the signs suggest this is more than just a short-term experiment, and one that the Knights are seriously considering as they build toward round one.